I am a marine geophysicist interested in the interplay between relatively large-scale geophysical processes and the microbial biosphere. I am currently studying the tidal modulation of aqueous fluid flow within mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems, with the hope of understanding how such flow variations can affect subseafloor primary production. I also study spatial variations in the tidal triggering of microearthquakes within ridge systems, and I study problems in acoustics associated with high-temperature hydrothermal vents and seafloor seismic networks.

Ultimately my work has implications for theories about the origins and evolution of life on this planet, and for theories regarding life elsewhere in the universe. I use numerical models to investigate these processes, and I develop new observational techniques and seafloor instrumentation to verify model predictions.